THE RONDO HATTON REPORT VOL XI JUNE 21, 2012 CONTENTS 1. STRAVINSKY’S INFLUENCE, Pt 2 / John ANTHONY 2. LINGUA FRANKA PART VII / Arjun von CAEMMERER 3. FZ AND THE SET-LIST / Sean GAFFNEY 4. DON’T JUBILEE’VE IT / Ken MAY 5. BONGO ZAPPA, Pt 1 / Steve MOORE 6. THE APPLIANCE OF SCIENCE / Sheila NYE 7. INSIDE NOW / Simon PRENTIS 8. BEN WATSON RUINED MY LIFE / John RILEY 1 1. STRAVINSKY’S INFLUENCE IN FRANK ZAPPA’S MUSIC, PART 2 John Anthony Compositional Technique #2: Stratification The second compositional technique Zappa borrowed from Stravinsky was the use of stratification. Stratification is the separation of musical ideas/areas juxtaposed in time. Because most of the ideas that are presented are only short fragments and often do not resolve, this causes tension. 1 Stravinsky incorporates this technique in Symphonies of Wind Instruments .2 Within the first minute and a half, Stravinsky incorporates this technique by giving the listener harsh dissonances created by the high woodwinds that bounce back and forth from a more Bach-like chorale from the brass section. At each instance, the listener is giving uncomfortably unresolved fragments. The biggest use of stratification in Zappa’s own compositional work is “Echnida’s Arf (Of You)” and “Don’t You Ever Wash That Thing?” Both of these recordings appear on Roxy & Elsewhere and You Can’t Do That On Stage Anymore (Vol. 2) . The songs are always played together back to back and most fans consider these to be one big song. For this paper, I will look at the version that appears on Roxy & Elsewhere . Throughout this thirteen and a half minute song, Zappa uses over forty different instances of stratification. Most of these fragments appear twice – some being played verbatim as some are changed slightly with a different instrumentation, tempo, or an extra measure tagged on at the end. The table analysis of this will begin at 2:26 of “Echnida’s Arf (Of You).” Each new row on the table represents a new occurrence of stratification. As shown from the below, most of the fragments last two to seven seconds long. The longest sections occur during the improvised solos as well as the cadenzas. 1 Cone, Edward. T. “Stravinsky: The Progress of A Method.” In Music: A View From Delft. Ed. Robert P. Morgan. (Chicago, Il: The University of Chicago, 1989): 294. 2 Cone, Edward. T. “Stravinsky: The Progress of A Method.” In Music: A View From Delft. Ed. Robert P. Morgan. (Chicago, Il: The University of Chicago, 1989): 294. 2 “Echnida’s Arf (Of You)” Stratification Analysis Time Time Description Signature 2:26 – 2:31 4/4, 3/4 Entire band builds up on half notes 2:32 – 2:35 4/4 Horns create dissonances, Vibes and Keys running sextuplet arpeggios 2:36 – 2:39 4/4 Keyboard groove established from beginning 2:40 – 2:42 4/4 Horns create dissonances, Vibes and Keys running sextuplet arpeggios 2:43 – 2:46 4/4 Keyboard groove established again 2:47 – 2:50 4/4 Horns create dissonances, Sextuplets appear again – entire section elongated a measure 2:50 – 3:00 4/4 New Groove Established 3:00 – 3:06 4/4 Entire band builds up on half notes (one measure added this time) 3:07 – 3:23 5/16 Keyboards, horns play moving sixteenth notes. Rhythm section hits on downbeats of 1. 3:24 – 3:43 5/16 Rhythm section becomes more involved. 3:43 - End 5/16 Each instrument becomes independent of each other causing a lot of scatter. "Don’t You Ever Wash That Thing?” Stratification Analysis Time Time Description Signature 0:00 – 0:16 4/4, 3/4, 2/4 Band playing harmonized, unison rhythms – drums fills in between. 0:17 – 0:18 Free Marimba plays free glissandos 0:18 – 0:20 Free Drum Set plays free fill 0:21 – 0:24 3/8 – 4/4 – Horns play exaggerated double time in the 3 4/8 – 5/18 style of Sousa. 0:25 – 0:37 7/16, 5/16, Trumpet and Marimba play unison solo. 6/16, 4/4, Rhythm section plays driving rock beat 3/4, 5/8 underneath 0:38 – 0:55 4/4, 3/4, 2/4 Band playing harmonized, unison rhythms – drums fill in between 0:56 – 0:59 4/4 Marimba + Horns 1:00 – 1:01 5/4 Aggressive Drum Fill 1:02 -1:17 3/4 Lazy Horn playing 1:18 – 1:30 7/16, 5/16, Upbeat Trumpet Solo in unison with Keyboard 6/16 and Marimba 1:31 – 2:39 4/4 Improvised Trombone Solo 2:40 – 2:56 4/4, 3/4, 2/4 Band playing harmonized, unison rhythms – Zappa speaks in between. 2:57 - 2:58 Free Free Keyboard Fill 2:58 – 2:59 Free Drum Set plays free fill 3:00 – 3:04 3/8 – 4/4 – Horns play exaggerated double time in the 4/8 – 5/18 style of Sousa. 3:05 – 3:17 7/16, 5/16, Trombone and Marimba play unison solo. 6/16, 4/4, Rhythm section plays driving rock beat 3/4, 5/8 underneath 3:18 – 3:33 4/4, 3/4, 2/4 Band playing harmonized, unison rhythms – percussion instrument fills in between 3:34 – 3:40 4/4 Marimba + Trombone + Keyboard 3:41 – 3:42 5/4 Aggressive Drum Fill 3:43 – 3:56 3/4 Lazy Horn playing + very heavy dissonant chords 3:57 – 4:10 7/16, 5/16, Upbeat Trombone Solo in unison with 6/16 Keyboard and Marimba 4:11 – 5:22 4/4 Improvised Keyboard Solo 5:23 – 7:10 4/4 Improvised Drum Solo w/background hits 7:11 – 8:16 4/4 Keyboard establishes new groove with 4 synthesizer improvisations 8:16 – 8:23 4/4 Drum Solo with random hits from the band 8:24 – 8:47 Free Marimba Cadenza 8:48 – 9:12 4/4 Unison Half Time Rhythms 9:13 – 9:25 Free Guitar Cadenza End 4/4 Unison band hit on one. Another example of stratification occurs in the song “RDNZL” from the album You Can’t Do That On Stage Anymore (Vol. 2) . In this song, Zappa uses similar instrumental fragments very reminiscent to “Don’t You Ever Wash That Thing?” which ends with a sung doo-wop style song that plays out for the remainder of the song. Compositional Technique #3: Polymeter The final compositional technique Zappa borrowed from Stravinsky is polymeter. 3 Polymeter is described as two or more time signatures occurring simultaneously within a piece of music. Stravinsky incorporated this in much of his ballet music including “Procession of the Oldest and Wisest One” from “The Rite of Spring.” One great example of polymeter in Zappa’s music comes from the song “Toad of the Short Forest” from the album Weasles Ripped My Flesh . The song was recorded in the studio while the polymeter section was recorded live and then later placed in the studio version. 4 As the polymeter section begins to take place on the recording, Zappa explains to the audience what exactly they are hearing: 3 Clement, Brett. "A Study of the Instrumental Music of Frank Zappa ". Ph.D. dissertation, University of Cincinnati, 2009: 44. 4 Clement, Brett. "A Study of the Instrumental Music of Frank Zappa ". Ph.D. dissertation, University of Cincinnati, 2009: 44. 5 “At this very moment on stage, we have…Drummer A playing in 7/8…Drummer B playing in 3/4…the Bass playing in 3/4…the Organ playing in 5/8…the Tambourine playing in 3/4…and the Alto Sax, blowing his nose.” 5 Example 3: “Toads of the Short Forest” Transcribed by John Anthony and Ed Davis. Even though Zappa explains that the organ is playing in 5/8 and drummer B is playing in 7/8, both musicians are actual feeling those time signatures while playing in 3/4 to create the illusion of the polymeter. When polymeter is incorporated into songs, often the meters eventually will line-up every four bars, eight bars, etc. With this recording, the 5/8 lines up with the 3/4 at the beginning of every six measures while the 7/8 lines up with the 3/4 at beginning of every eight bars. Because both the 7/8 and 5/8 don’t line up at the same time, the listener is given the sense of uneasiness throughout the entire section. This uneasiness is a great contrast for the song especially since the studio portion of the song is a waltz-like pop tune. 5 Zappa, Frank. “Toad of the Short Forest.” Weasels Ripped My Flesh. Rykodisc, 1970: 2:11 – 30. 6 With these ideas of musical quotes, isomelism, polymeter, and stratification, there is no doubt that Frank Zappa was influenced by Igor Stravinsky throughout his entire musical career. By putting these ideas into his music, it showed that Zappa was not only paying honor to an important composer that affected his life, but was hoping that other people would start to find a passion for that same music that inspired him. With more and more recordings being distributed posthumously through the Zappa estate, more and more techniques that Zappa borrowed will hopefully start to appear for fans and music theorists to dive in to. Bibliography Borders, James. “Form and the Concept Album: Aspects of Modernism in Frank Zappa's Early Releases” In Perspectives of New Music, Vol. 39, No. 1 . (2001): 123. Cone, Edward. T. “Stravinsky: The Progress of A Method.” In Music: A View From Delft. Ed. Robert P.